Extended Type Design.

[Daniel Keep]

Funny, this is beginning to read like dialogue from Sam & Max: Episode 1...

Daniel Keep wrote:
> Walter Bright wrote:
>> eao197 wrote:
>>> On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:41:54 +0300, Walter Bright
>>> <newshound at digitalmars.com> wrote:
>>>> D will get macros - but they won't be text processing macros, they'll
>>>> be abstract syntax tree (AST) processing macros.

Bosco: And I might have another item of interest behind the counter...

>>> It is very interesting to hear that. Could you say more about the
>>> future macro system in D? Or it is a secret now?

Sam: I accept your thinly veiled invitation to ask about the item behind
the counter.

>> It's pretty simple:
>> 
>>     macro foo(args)
>>     {
>>         ...syntax that gets inserted...
>>     }

Bosco: Oh, it's a little something I like to call a Tear Gas Grenade
Launcher.

> Oh, VERY slick.

Max: "Tear Gas Grenade Launcher?"  Oh, I *really* want that!

>> and the args and syntax is evaluated in the context of the invocation of
>> the macro, not the definition of the macro. You'll be able to do things
>> like:
>> 
>>     macro print(arg)
>>     {
>>         writefln(__FILE__, __LINE__, arg);
>>     }
>> 
>> which get the file and line in the right context. There's no way to do
>> that right now.

Bosco: It'll clear out a room full of militant college students in no
time; guaranteed!

> Wow.  <3

Max: I feel really close to you right now.

:P

Question: in terms of usage, will these macros be like functions?  Or
will we able to define, say, a new kind of control structure with
keywords?  Or perhaps even a construct with a trailing curly brace block?

You spoil us Walter, you really do.

	-- Daniel

-- 
Unlike Knuth, I have neither proven or tried the above; it may not even
make sense.

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